Should I wait to get a tattoo until I lose weight? Before & After Pics

If you are planning to lose weight you may be wondering, should I wait to get a tattoo until I lose weight? What effect does weight loss have on a tattoo?

Weigh loss of a few pounds won’t have affect your tattoo. If you lose a significant amount of weight it will change the tattoo and you may lose small details. If you have a lot to lose it may be wise to wait. Location of the tattoo also makes a big difference to how it will look after weight loss.

You don’t want to get a tattoo only to find that it is ruined when you get to your ideal weight. The following post will help you make a decision as to whether to wait or if you need to change the location of your planned tattoo.

Should I wait to get a tattoo until I lose weight?

If you have a plan to lose weight in the future, but also want a tattoo, what do you do? Any major body change can have an affect on your tattoo.

However, most of the time, weight loss won’t make that big a difference to your tattoo. 

There are some factors that do make a difference to how good your tattoo will look in the future though.

If you understand what will make a difference to your tattoo, then you can plan whether to wait or not.

The factors that will affect your tattoo are as follows…

How much weight you plan to lose.

A few pounds weight loss won’t make a difference. However, if you are aiming to lose in the vicinity of 100 pounds then this starts to make a difference to your tattoos. 

You need to consider the location where you plan to get tattooed and also the detail of the design that you want to get. Both of those things will have a bearing on how your tattoo will hold up as you lose weight. Your age makes a difference too.

If you do have over 100 pounds to lose it may be worth waiting to get your tattoo. 

However, if you dont want to wait then think about tattoo location when you make your decision

The detail of the tattoo you plan to have.

A tattoo with small and delicate detail may not stand up well if you lose a lot of weight.

Think about what happens to a balloon as you deflate it. If you drew a design on the balloon and let out the air, the design would get smaller. A big bold design would still look good, but something with small detail may end up looking blurred.

It’s the same with skin. Small tattoos or those with intricate detail may lose quality with major weight loss.

• Dotwork and watercolour tattoos may end up looking blurred after major weight loss
• Bold tattoos such as traditional work, black work and tribal may fare better. 

Location

The location of your tattoo is a major deciding factor in how well it will stand up to major weight loss.

There are obviously some areas of the body where we tend to put on weight. These areas tend to fluctuate much more when you lose the weight. 

Tattoo locations that won’t change much when you lose weight

• Hand
  Hands stay relatively the same, even if you put on a lot of weight. The won’t change much when you lose it.
• Forearm
  The size of the forearm tends to change a lot less than the biceps at the top of the arm.
• Male Chest
  This area doesn’t much with weight loss and gain.
• Back
  The top of the back tends to stay reasonably similar even if you have put on a lot of weight. However, tattoos between the shoulder blades may distort.
• Foot
  Feet don’t tend to alter much, even if you have put on a lot of weight. Therefore they won’t change too much when you lose it.

Tattoo locations that will change a lot when you lose weight

• Stomach
  The stomach is where most people gain the most weight. Therefore, when you lose it it comes off here rapidly. This will mean a big shrinkage of the skin which can distort a tattoo badly. This post has more information > Are stomach tattoos good idea?
• Thigh
  Thighs are also a large fat storage area. If you have a tattoo when your your thigh is at its maximum size, it could lose a lot of detail when you lose the weight.
• Bottom
  Similarly. The backside will change in size a lot during weight loss, meaning your tattoo may distort.
• Ribs
  Fat rolls along the ribs will change a lot if you lose weight. If you have a tattoo here and then lose, you may find your tattoo looks badly positioned after weight loss.
• Breasts
  Breasts can change size a lot when you lose weight. If you plan to lose a lot of weight its an area to avoid until you hit your target.

Your age has bearing too.

You do need to factor your age into your decision.

Younger skin has more elasticity and will therefore hold up better. The older you get the less likely your skin is to bounce back after major weight loss.

This can make a difference to how well your tattoo holds up. If you are at the more mature end of the spectrum it may be wiser to wait until you hit your target before getting a tattoo.

Do tattoos look bad when you lose weight?

Tattoos don’t necessarily look bad when you lose weight. They often just tighten up a little and look more dense. However, with major weight loss you may lose detail. You may also find that the placement of the tattoo isn’t as good after you lose weight.

For example, if you have excess weigh on your upper arms and get a tattoo, once you lose the weight you may find that the design isn’t central on your arm. This is because the fat stores are not distributed evenly on the front and back of your arm. So when you lose the weight, the tattoo won’t shrink evenly. 

This can be an important factor to think about when deciding if you should wait to get a tattoo until you have lost the weight.

Do tattoos stretch when you get fat?

Tattoos do stretch when you get fat. If you have a tattoo when you are at your thinnest and gain weight, the tattoo will stretch with you and may distort. When you lose the weigh the tattoo should shrink down to its original size and still look good. Major weight gain and loss can damage a tattoo.

Should I wait to get a tattoo until I lose weight?

I hope this post has helped you understand the various factors that will affect your tattoo if you lose weight. Now you can make a decision if you should wait before getting your tattoo.

Before and after photos of tattoo weight loss.

Amy is a 31 year old woman from Bristol England. She has powered through an incredible weight loss of 270 pounds. She has a brilliant instagram where she documents her weight loss journey. https://www.instagram.com/splattard/

She shows her awesome tattoos in before and after photos so that you can see directly how the weight loss has impacted them. Her tattoos look great after she has lost the weight.

She also shares how she has lost her weight and is well worth following. An inspirational woman.